Goat riders

The Bokkenrijders were, according to popular belief, individuals or spirits who rode through the air on goats. In the eighteenth century, this was the name given to a gang of thieves, extortionists, and perpetrators of violent robberies.
The Bokkenrijders gangs were intermittently active between 1740-1798 in what is now Dutch South Limburg and Middle Limburg, Belgian Limburg and the Belgian and Dutch Kempen, the Belgian Voer region, the Land of Herve, the area around Liège, and several regions just over the German border near Herzogenrath.
The raids and extortions were generally aimed at farms and rectories in the countryside. Later, the Bokkenrijders gained a Robin Hood-like status among some.
Today, it is believed that there were various criminal gangs and individuals who had no connections with each other. It is also assumed that a large part of the approximately 1,200 accused and about 500 convicted individuals were innocent, as most confessions were obtained through torture.
The Bokkenrijders belong to the intangible cultural heritage of Limburg.
In Valkenburg aan de Geul, several Bokkenrijders monuments can be found, namely:

• 
  The Bokkenrijders monument in Halderpark. This monument refers to the Bokkenrijders past of Valkenburg aan de Geul.
• The Bokkenrijders statue in the herb garden near Schaloen Castle. This statue serves as a fountain.
  
• Plaque about the Bokkenrijders in Valkenburg aan de Geul. This plaque can be found on the facade of Museum Valkenburg.
  
• Charcoal drawing of the Bokkenrijders in the Municipal Cave.

Office de tourisme du Sud du Limbourg (Visit Zuid-Limburg)